Okay, let’s be real here. How many of you have time for a balanced breakfast in the mornings? As a work-at-home mom, you’d think I’d have breakfasts on lock. But in reality, most days I’m putting Juniper down for her first nap before I realize I haven’t eaten anything. But as busy as my mornings are, I always make time for coffee, so I wanted to find an easy way to make my first cup of the day a bit more substantial in the nutrition department.

I’ve heard of people making iced coffee protein shakes in blender bottles, but in the morning, what I really crave is hot coffee. I figured putting scalding hot coffee in a blender bottle wasn’t the smartest decision, but just stirring protein powder into hot coffee resulted in a lumpy, grainy drink. I thought about blending it in my Vitamix, but that seemed like too much fuss (and more dishes to wash), but then it occurred to me— I could use my mini milk frother as a submersion blender and create the perfect hot cup of protein-filled coffee! And it worked!

Check out how I made my morning cup taste like a pumpkin spice latte, but with plenty of protein to see me through the morning!

Start out with some International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer in a large cup (I used one tablespoon) and pour some hot coffee into it. Make sure the cup you use is twice as big as what you need, because blending will cause the drink to slosh around.

Add vanilla protein powder to your coffee (one spoonful at a time) as you use a milk frother to blend it together. It will get frothy and foamy, and grow in size.

Then simply pour the drink into a coffee mug, or just use the cup you blended it in. It will be frothy, sweet, and rich! I only used 1/2 the amount of a regular serving of protein powder, because I didn’t want it to be too flavorful and overpower the coffee. 10 grams of protein is still pretty good for a cup of coffee, I’d say!

To be clear, this is not an actual latte, because I didn’t use espresso and steamed milk, but it has similar frothy qualities to a latte. Very yummy just the same!

Of course, you can change up your creamer flavors with the seasons, but I loved the Fall flavor of International Delight’s Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer with this morning’s cup of protein coffee. You can use International Delight’s product locator to see where you can find seasonal flavors near you.

It’s that time of year when the world around me fills up my soul with a heartwarming palette of Autumn colors. Everything is so saturated with beautiful hues— the orange pumpkins, the firey red and yellow of the changing leaves, the grass so lush and green, and the sky still quite blue. Soon everything in Ohio will be brown and gray and white, and it seems that my wardrobe choices are reflecting the coming winter.

I haven’t been interested in wearing much color these days. Instead I’m happy to let the colors of the season greet me wherever I go, while fade into the background, living life on the edge as I dangerously indulge in powdered sugar doughnuts while sitting on fuzzy carpets in my perpetually black pants. Yep, I’m a lint-covered powdery mess these days. It’s the new me.

O U T F I T D E T A I L S :

Well I didn’t quite expect the emotional whirlwind that hit me when I read my own words today. A friend texted me about my Living With Kids interview that went up on Design Mom today, and I though, Oh yeah! I forget what I even said in that interview… so I went over, read it all, and cried. I felt immense appreciation for my life and struggles, but also the lack of struggles we’ve faced as well. Most of all it made me feel afresh the deep gratitude I feel for our family and home.

And also, on a much more superficial note, check out my recent post at A Beautiful Mess about Easy Tips for a Living Room Refresh. You’ll find some fun before and after pics of our home as well as every little thing I considered in our recent living room facelift. See ya there!